A Tony Show That Gives and Gets Respect

By LAURIE WINER

June 3, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES THEATER CRITIC

On Sunday night’s new, improved, three-hour Tony Award telecast, host Rosie O’Donnell described herself as “Broadway’s biggest fan.” But she was a subtle critic, too. She exclaimed over the number performed from the sensational revival of “Chicago,” while remaining suspiciously tight-lipped over a song from “The Life,” which featured actresses in grotesque get-ups playing angry but proud prostitutes.

The Tony broadcast offered no major gaffs and few surprises. For the first time it was broadcast from Radio City Music Hall, which looked handsome--pleasantly amber and not too gigantic. The change of venue, apparently, was O’Donnell’s idea. Her instincts were good. As host, she shoos away pretentiousness just as she shooed away two chorus boys who were following her around in her opening number, an inoffensive medley from long-running Broadway musicals.

PBS broadcast the first hour and included sound bites from designers and choreographers explaining what it is they do and why they do it. Then CBS aired its usual two hours, from 9 to 11 p.m. A little breathing room made a lot of difference. Award winners had sufficient time to ventilate their gratitude without fear of being abruptly cut off. Maury Yeston, deservedly winning for his score for the musical “Titanic,” delivered a speech so gracious and modest it could be a model of the genre. No one had been able to do that for several years. Time constraints had become so severe that winners could barely take a breath before they were hounded offstage by a loud orchestra.

“Titanic” swept, winning all five of its nominations, but the other “Titanic” winners were not always as gracious. Peter Stone, who won best book of a musical, sniped at the critics, who after all had sniped at him. So did “Titanic” producer Michael David, accepting the award for best musical. Nonetheless--snipe, snipe--”Titanic” earned its awards more by default than by glory. It’s not a bad show, but one can’t help noticing it’s not good either.

In general, producers didn’t try to jam too much into their musical segments. “Chicago” came off the best because it is the best show. Watching Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking perform together just after they both had won Tonys (for best actress in a musical and best choreography, respectively) was not only a pleasure, it was a historic moment.

The patter written for presenters on the CBS portion of the evening was markedly better than that on the PBS portion. But a common theme ran throughout; they each remembered the first time they were bitten by the theater bug. The subject proved to be infectious, and several award winners also shared their memories.

Acceptance speeches held little drama. The two greatest performances of the season produced only perfunctory speeches from Christopher Plummer (“Barrymore”) and Janet McTeer (“A Doll’s House”). Well, they slew you onstage, why should they have to do it at the Tony Award ceremony?

If the show was in consistently good taste, it did offer hors d’ouvres for people looking to be amused by the excesses of show folk. Presenter Mandy Patinkin arrived, a week and a half after receiving a cornea transplant, in thick sunglasses and strode importantly onstage like a mad impresario. Liza Minnelli thanked John Kander and Fred Ebb as if she were winning an award. People said things that they probably didn’t mean to say. Winning for best supporting actress in a musical, “The Life’s” Lillias White thanked “God almighty for all of my wonderful gifts.” Owen Teale, winning best featured actor for his performance in “A Doll’s House,” said he knew he was good, but not this good.

Mostly, things went so well that gossiping Broadwayphiles had to look to minutiae to dish. Liza gave an award in a dress that looked as though someone had deflated a children’s swimming pool and plastered it over her body--unevenly. For her part, Rosie emerged from her limousine with a younger man. He was 13-year-old Ryan Heffernan, a fan of hers from Staten Island who had written to her. I got this factoid from Playbill On-Line, which offered a live chat room throughout the evening. I signed on at midnight--Liza’s dress drove me to it--but the chat room was empty. This Tony telecast went down smooth as milk, but it still didn’t leave anyone up until all hours talking about it.

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The Tony Awards: Who Won What

Complete list of winners of the 1997 Tony Awards:

* Play: “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” by Alfred Uhry

* Musical: “Titanic”

* Book of a Musical: Peter Stone, “Titanic”

* Original Score: Maury Yeston, “Titanic”

* Revival-Play: “A Doll’s House”

* Revival-Musical: “Chicago”

* Direction-Play: Anthony Page, “A Doll’s House”

* Direction-Musical: Walter Bobbie, “Chicago”

* Actor-Play: Christopher Plummer, “Barrymore”